Boys’ Brigade Scotland director John Sharp spoke to Kirsty Paterson about how – and why – the organisation is so proud to be celebrating 100 years of the Junior section this year.

A party at Stirling Castle marked 100 years of the Boys Brigade's Junior Section

Kirsty Paterson

Published:11:23Thursday 02 November 2017

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If you know a member of the Boys’ Brigade – and as one of Scotland’s largest youth organisations, the chances are you will – you might have noticed them baking a giant cake, planting 100 bulbs or learning to play marbles.

Indeed, they may have been doing something very different – because to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the junior section of the Boys’ Brigade, the youngsters are on a mission.

Boys' Brigade Junior section enjoy a sleepover at the Science Centre in Glasgow

The Junior 100 Challenge won’t be completed by anyone overnight – there are 100 challenges, including the cake baking, ranging from learning sign language to going on a scavenger hunt to climbing at least 100m.

“The 100 challenges almost summarise what the Boys’ Brigade is about,” said John Sharp, director of the Boys’ Brigade in Scotland.

“There’s a lot of fun learning, there’s voluntary work, working in the community – lots of ways for young people to develop confidence, resilience and independence.”

Many of the challenges ask the young members to look back to 1917, when the Boys’ Brigade decided it was time to take in boys under the age of 13 and formed a junior section for ages 8-11.

It was a very different world in many ways: living through the dangers of the First World War, many of their older brothers and dads would have been serving abroad.

The young members of the Boys’ Reserves, as it was then known, would have played with marbles, wooden hoops and spinning tops.

Few of their homes would have had electricity, while only about half had gas.

Indoor toilets and water from a tap were still very new. Baths were tin ones in front of the fire. While much has changed since those days so has the Boys’ Brigade.

The 21st century organisation goes kayaking, plays dodge ball and even takes 400 boys on a sleepover in Glasgow’s Science Centre – they could have taken twice that many, such was the demand, said John.

“This is the fifth year we’ve done it,” he explained. “It’s a really fun experience and we hope it will inspire them to learn about science.”

John is just six months into his role as director and he has been inspired by the dedication and commitment he sees from the army of volunteers – 3500 in Scotland alone – many of whom have given decades of service.